New Warrior Training Adventure

Whether you identify as; Gay, Bi, Trans, Questioning, Queer, or Curious, or “none of the “above” the New Warrior Training Adventure is a gateway into discovering and integrating authentic power. All NWTA weekends are open. We want to welcome you.

Some choose our GBTQ-focused “gateways”. The concept of a gateway training adventure was to make an extra effort to invite those who were not members of a majority demographic. Also, the staff is selected with those who identify as a member of the demographic group on which that gateway is focused.

The New Warrior Training Adventure is a singular type of life affirming event, honoring the best in what one has to offer the planet. We are only able to recognize the powerful brilliance of all men because we are willing to look at, and take full responsibility for, the pain we are also capable of creating … and suffering. This is the paradox of modern masculinity, and it is a lesson we are dedicated to learning and teaching.

The New Warrior Training Adventure is a modern initiation and self-examination. We believe that this is crucial to the development of a healthy and mature self, no matter one’s age. It is the “hero’s journey” of classical literature and myth that has nearly disappeared in modern culture. We ask gay men to stop living vicariously through movies, internet applications, television, addictions, bars and distractions and step up into their own adventure – in real time and surrounded by others like them.

At the NWTA:

You’ll experience a level of energy, a quality of masculinity, a deep sense of safety, joy and laughter, anger and fear, release of shame, physical challenge, and a connection to life’s mystery that is inexplicable, no matter how hard we try.

You’ll have the opportunity to look with fearless honesty at the life you’ve created, and make profound choices about what you want to keep, what you want to expand, and what you want to let go of.

You’ll discover your unique connection to your identity, explore a new way of understanding masculinity and the feminine, and step fully into the person you envision yourself to be.

Who, What and Where?

Who Runs the Training?

How Do I Register?

How Much Does the Training Cost?

Who Comes to the Training?

Am I Ready?

What Happens After the Training?

Does this work make a real difference?

Is the New Warrior Training Adventure for Every Man?

What Will I Get Out of This?

I’ve got other questions

Who, What and Where?
The basics: You will join a group of between 15 and 40 others at a camp or retreat facility somewhere in one of our geographical centers. We recommend that you drive no more than 3 hours to the training site. You will be asked to car-pool, in line with a commitment to ecological consciousness and as a way of beginning to create connections and camaraderie with the others attending the training.

From Friday afternoon until Sunday afternoon, (with meals, breaks and time for sleep) you will be asked to join in a series of processes and activities – all designed with one goal in mind – to help every participant at the training step into his own unique sense of self. Some activities are individual; many are group processes. It will be one of the most action packed weekends of your life.

You will be guided on this journey by a group of 25 to 50 staff. Some will be staffing for the first time, others will have had decades of experience and advanced training. All staff will play a role in creating the weekend experience.

On Sunday afternoon, after celebrating your success, you will return home. It is a good idea to have a quiet evening planned. Some choose to take Monday off in order to digest their experience and rest. For many, Monday’s sunrise is the beginning of a life with a renewed sense of vitality and purpose.

Who Runs the Training?
The ManKind Project, an international not-for-profit organization, has assembled a highly-motivated, experienced staff to lead its trainings. Most staff members are volunteers, and because all have experienced the initiation process themselves, they have a compelling sense of initiation and authentic self-examination.

The Leader team on your training will have years of experience working with participants in transformational settings. Leaders in the ManKind Project have chosen to live a life of fierce and rigorous self examination. They have been judged repeatedly by their peers, and by the ManKind Project, and certified to lead the New Warrior Training, a serious responsibility. Their commitment is to the safety and success of each person on a training weekend.

In the final analysis, however, you run your own training through the responses and decisions you make along your journey. The staff serve as your guides and mentors, but you choose your own level of commitment, and you decide how far you will explore the inner terrain of your life, to discover the treasures, and obstacles buried within yourself.

How Do I Register?
Only you can decide if you are ready to participate in the New Warrior Training Adventure. There is a simple process for registering that includes a detailed questionnaire. Some communities also conduct telephone or face to face interviews. Not every one is ready for the NWTA, but most are. Face the fear. *Click on a date and location to your right.

How Much Does the Training Cost?
Tuition for the New Warrior Training Adventure varies from community to community depending on the local costs for site rental and the cost of living. The average cost of the training is $650. For those in financial need, there is often scholarship money and payment plans available.

Who Comes to the Training?
During your training you will stand shoulder to shoulder with an immensely rich mix of masculinity and all walks of life. Whether they’re corporate executives or college students, all come to share a common understanding that their lives can be empowered with greater focus and direction, and that this personal initiation is crucial to their full development.
Some come to heal. Some come to find role models for positive and mature masculinity. Some come to explore their Leadership abilities and expand their skills. Some come to make a conscious transition from adolescent to adult life. Some come to find peace of mind in their transition to elder-hood. All come because a small voice within them lets them know when it’s time.

“Some people sleep until morning. Others know they have to bring the morning.” – Shlomo Carlbach

Am I Ready?
We do not recommend this training for everyone. We urge you not to apply to this program without serious forethought, and not to enroll simply at the urging of a significant other or friend.
To participate in this training, you must be in reasonably good physical condition, and willing to face the prospect of transformative change in your life. You must be highly committed to your life, and ready to participate fully in all training activities, many of which encourage you to take a hard look at yourself, your deepest fears, your wounds from the past, and and how you are willing to learn what you can do to take control of and improve your life. We choose to work only with those who are ready, and willing to do this initiatory work with us.

What Happens After the Training?
No weekend workshop is a fix-all. We do not expect the NWTA to “cure” you or “fix” your life. What we do expect is that a crack will be opened in a covering, maybe breaking apart completely. The awakening that results from the NWTA can be very powerful … but the ongoing growth in self-awareness and empowerment that can come about by participating in ongoing circles, called Integration Groups, is the most compelling reason that many of us took the NWTA to begin with. After the NWTA you will be invited to participate in an I-Group.
You will also be invited to join the Global Community of other men that is the ManKind Project. Within MKP you can participate in advanced leadership and skill trainings, learn facilitation skills, and participate as staff at any of our trainings. You will also find a wider community of diverse men, women, families and organizations dedicated to making the world a better, safer, more alive place through missions of service.

Does this work make a real difference?
Like a stone dropping into a pond, the New Warrior Training Adventure [NWTA] sends ripples through the lives of men, their families, and their communities. The growth and healing that one experiences doesn’t stop with there. New Warriors and Centers are involved in mentoring disaffected youth, working with gangs and incarcerated younger ones, building shelters for the homeless, creating programs for Vietnam-era veterans, and other causes that cry out for healthy masculine presence.

Is the NWTA for Every Man?
No. This training is not intended for those with active mental health issues that might lead to self harming or violent behaviors. Please seek professional mental health counseling. If you have been involved in ongoing treatment, talk to your provider about whether an intense weekend could be valuable to you. Involvement with the ManKind Project is often recognized to have positive effects for men in recovery from chemical addictions or a history of addictive behavior. Talk to your sponsor. If you are actively using, we do not recommend the New Warrior Training Adventure.

“Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate; our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure…. As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others.” – Marianne Williamson

What Will I Get Out of This?
We don’t know exactly what you will walk away with. Your experience will be unique. You will learn about yourself and how you show up in the world. You will learn about your place in a community of like-minded people. You will learn about masculinity, the feminine and the possibility of creating a new kind of a person, a peaceful warrior, to help heal the wounds in our society. You will see others mentor others, support each other, play together and form a safe, authentic container where one can be free to be exactly who his is, without defenses or masks.
It’s likely that when you leave this training you will have the possibility to love and be loved in a way you have not experienced in a very long time. You’ll have a gift to offer the world, and the energy to share it.

“Previous cultures throughout history always intended authentic masculine initiation. But their vision and their cultural context of the world was necessarily limited. Since the first earthrise photograph from outer space, we have entered a new mythological era. For the first time in human history, we have before us the possibility of authentic masculine initiation – an initiation into the global brotherhood.” – Dr. Robert Moore Coauthor of King, Warrior, Magician, Lover